August 5, 2010 does not mean much to probably any of you. However, to many people in Chile it means a lot. It means a day when some would have their world come crashing in on them. That day meant a day that they didn’t know if they would see a family member again. It meant a day which some didn’t know if they would live or die. It meant a day of 33 men spending life together 315 feet underground for the next several days.
I don’t think I can imagine what these men must have had to endure as they lived underground. Here, we live in comfortable homes, so imagine having to live in a cave, without an opening? Imagine living in this cavern with no running water or bathroom? Imagine living without any sunlight? Imagine living without your family? Imagine living in an area that was defined by irregular walls of close proximity? Imagine living with decreasing hope, especially as the initial hours progressed?
Can you at all imagine what this must have felt like? On a much smaller scale, I can. In early spring of 1987 we experienced a shocking, quick-approaching blizzard. Our house was a couple miles outside of town, so we had lots of wind associated with the snow. We had a snow drift that was at least as high as the eaves on our house. After the blizzard was over and I began to play in the snow, I came up with a great plan, to build a tunnel in the snow which we could slide down. I dug down for a while, then from the front. Then, I went back to the top to continue to clear out the opening between the two tunnels. But, as I was reaching down, I slid into the opening, causing myself to become stuck. I think the only thing sticking out the top were my legs. At first it wasn’t any big deal. I am not claustrophobic and I was right in front of my house, with my family at home. Then, as I would try to move reality set in that I was not going anywhere and I was certainly stuck. As I lay there, my hope was deteriorating and I started to get a little scared.
As the miners were inside the earth and minutes developed into hours, did they lose hope? However, when they received the first signs of communication from above indicating people knew where they were and they were alive, can you imagine how their attitudes must have changed? They had a hope that was naturally inflating as the rescuing efforts began to improve and their day of the ultimate rescue grew closer.
This last week, the miners from the Chile gold mine came to the surface. Their day of being rescued came true! Their hope of rescue became tangible. They could now have all those things they didn’t have: freedom to run, running water and a bathroom, sunlight, and family! I was able to see a few of the reunions and what joy filled their faces! Joy beamed off of faces as wives were able to see husbands, siblings to see their brothers, moms to see their sons, and children to see their fathers.
As I lay in the snow tunnel I had constructed I was wondering when my family would come and look for me. By this time my they had gone inside to get ready to eat dinner. Finally, after what seemed to be a long time, but was probably a half hour, my dad heard my cries for help. He came out of the house and pulled me up out of the tunnel by my ankles. I had been rescued. What seemed to be a bit hopeless was now full of hope. Aside from my family getting a good laugh out of my mistake, I was going to be fine. My life would return to normal.
That situation with the Chilean miners really can provide a bit of an illumination on how those who are living without Christ go about their daily lives. They live in a darkness that may never change. They live within parameters which are not going to expand. They are not able to be connected with a spiritual family, which is one of the great things about being “in Christ”. They are living without the freedom that is found in Christ. They are living without hope.
The good news is all this can change. The change will come as you start to share Jesus with them and their hope will begin to increase. They will notice something in you that is different. Your life will be an example of an appealing hope. You will be a billboard for change. You will be their hope of rescue.
Don’t leave them stranded and underground...give them hope and throw out the life-line!
I don’t think I can imagine what these men must have had to endure as they lived underground. Here, we live in comfortable homes, so imagine having to live in a cave, without an opening? Imagine living in this cavern with no running water or bathroom? Imagine living without any sunlight? Imagine living without your family? Imagine living in an area that was defined by irregular walls of close proximity? Imagine living with decreasing hope, especially as the initial hours progressed?
Can you at all imagine what this must have felt like? On a much smaller scale, I can. In early spring of 1987 we experienced a shocking, quick-approaching blizzard. Our house was a couple miles outside of town, so we had lots of wind associated with the snow. We had a snow drift that was at least as high as the eaves on our house. After the blizzard was over and I began to play in the snow, I came up with a great plan, to build a tunnel in the snow which we could slide down. I dug down for a while, then from the front. Then, I went back to the top to continue to clear out the opening between the two tunnels. But, as I was reaching down, I slid into the opening, causing myself to become stuck. I think the only thing sticking out the top were my legs. At first it wasn’t any big deal. I am not claustrophobic and I was right in front of my house, with my family at home. Then, as I would try to move reality set in that I was not going anywhere and I was certainly stuck. As I lay there, my hope was deteriorating and I started to get a little scared.
As the miners were inside the earth and minutes developed into hours, did they lose hope? However, when they received the first signs of communication from above indicating people knew where they were and they were alive, can you imagine how their attitudes must have changed? They had a hope that was naturally inflating as the rescuing efforts began to improve and their day of the ultimate rescue grew closer.
This last week, the miners from the Chile gold mine came to the surface. Their day of being rescued came true! Their hope of rescue became tangible. They could now have all those things they didn’t have: freedom to run, running water and a bathroom, sunlight, and family! I was able to see a few of the reunions and what joy filled their faces! Joy beamed off of faces as wives were able to see husbands, siblings to see their brothers, moms to see their sons, and children to see their fathers.
As I lay in the snow tunnel I had constructed I was wondering when my family would come and look for me. By this time my they had gone inside to get ready to eat dinner. Finally, after what seemed to be a long time, but was probably a half hour, my dad heard my cries for help. He came out of the house and pulled me up out of the tunnel by my ankles. I had been rescued. What seemed to be a bit hopeless was now full of hope. Aside from my family getting a good laugh out of my mistake, I was going to be fine. My life would return to normal.
That situation with the Chilean miners really can provide a bit of an illumination on how those who are living without Christ go about their daily lives. They live in a darkness that may never change. They live within parameters which are not going to expand. They are not able to be connected with a spiritual family, which is one of the great things about being “in Christ”. They are living without the freedom that is found in Christ. They are living without hope.
The good news is all this can change. The change will come as you start to share Jesus with them and their hope will begin to increase. They will notice something in you that is different. Your life will be an example of an appealing hope. You will be a billboard for change. You will be their hope of rescue.
Don’t leave them stranded and underground...give them hope and throw out the life-line!
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